ok aterpster...what about VISUAL APPROACH CLEARANCE is an IFR authorization ...et al?
if you start a visual...great, you should be able to complete a visual
but
if you end up in the clouds again, what happens? well, you haven't CANCELLED IFR have you? Anytime you are VMC, you have to see and avoid other traffic. IF you are back in the clouds you must ADVISE ATC you are no longer VMC and will be handled appropriately
and for that awful moment when you can't get through to ATC due to frequency congestion? what do you do then? You safely navigate the plane away from terrain and the most likely way to do it is using the published missed.
as soon as you re establish contact with ATC and get an altitude to fly and no visual restriction you will be ''protected'' again.
mind you I mentioned most airlines don't do contact approaches anymore (wisely)
and aterpster...the clearance limit thing of the runway...it is for an Instrument approach and THEN YOU are protected in case of a go around/missed.